Watching You Watch Him
by NRK-TheKid
Summary: Pepper and Happy enjoy a friendly conversation during an ice cream break without their egocentric boss. Pre-Ironman.


A/N: I thought this up a few days ago while listening to the song by Eric Hutchinson. (Great artist, check him out!) It is pre-Iron Man. I literally started this at 3am, and just finished it. I looked for errors and corrected the ones I found, but if you notice something weird, give me a heads up.

Don't forget to leave a review, letting me know what you think! Thanks for reading!

(I don't own Iron Man, but I met him once. Good times.)

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><p>Happy leaned against the side of the limo, his sunglasses on and a napkin tucked into the collar of his work shirt as his licked his chocolate triple scoop ice cream cone. Pepper walked towards the waiting car, carrying a small caramel sundae, the gentle breeze blowing through her strawberry blonde hair. It was days like this Happy loved. The warm summer weather was perfect, the beach and boardwalk crowded with people. He had been wanting to take Pepper to this little ice cream parlor since he discovered it last summer.<p>

"Mmm, you're right! This is really good," Pepper exclaimed, enjoying the first spoonful of her sundae, standing next to Happy as they faced the ocean.

"You went with caramel, huh? See, I always pegged you as more of a hot fudge girl."

"Don't get me wrong, I love hot fudge too, but that's more of a rainy day thing for me."

"I hear ya." They stood in silence, enjoying their frozen treats and each other's company.

"This is nice," she began a few minutes later. "You and I don't get to spend much time with each other that often. That's not your fault though. Tony's usually got me doing a couple hundred things at once. Sometimes I feel like I don't have a moment to myself, let alone with anyone else."

"I've noticed that. Isn't he the one who's suppose to be running this company?" Pepper sighed.

"Technically, yes, but I know that his heart's not in it. He's more hands on. Sitting in an office all day doing paper work isn't his idea of fun."

"Doesn't sound like it's yours, either."

"Eh, I don't mind it nearly as much as he does. I mean, yes, it would be nice if Tony took a little more responsibility, but I can't blame him. It's just his personality." Happy nodded, licking his ice cream.

"Sometimes, I think his personality needs an update," he stated. "Don't tell him I said that, though. I mean, I like the guy. He's a good boss, but the way he treats a lot of people…and the way he treats you sometimes…it's just not right. He expects so much from you, but when you need him, where is he?"

"Usually with some other woman…or women," Pepper joked, her smile faltering momentarily. "You're right though. He has his faults, but I can't complain because at the end of the day, he's the one paying my pay check, and I think he's rather generous compared to a lot of CEOs."

"Okay, but is your boss also suppose to make you cry?" Pepper blushed.

"You saw that the other day, huh?"

"You did a good job at hiding it from him. I think he thought nothing of it."

"Thanks. I guess not all bosses make their employees cry, but then again, I was being overly sensitive about something."

"What exactly?" She shrugged, playing with the dripping caramel with her spoon.

"It's not important. We just had a disagreement, and I said something I know I shouldn't have, and he did the same. I just let it get to me, I suppose. I mean, it's not like we're," she trailed off, taking a bite.

"You're not what?"

"Tony and I are good friends, and he is my boss. It's not like we're dating. What he does is his own business, at the end of the day. And, in his defense, he did properly apologize to me that evening before I went home."

"Tony apologized for something? Wow, I'm shocked. That must be some kind of first."

"I know, right," she giggled. "I didn't think he was being serious at first." She sighed, shaking her head and laughing lightly. "Listen to me, going on and on about Tony. What about you? I feel like you and I have never had the chance to really get to know each other."

"There's not much to me. I mean, I've got a nice spread just outside the city…I like beer and sports…that's about it."

"What's your favorite sport and team?"

"Football, and the Steelers. I'm from Pittsburg, so I've got to love them."

"Did you ever play football?"

"Yeah, back in high school. I would've continued on into college, but I went into the Marines instead. I ended up getting injured, and that was it for my football career."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Do you think you would have gone pro?" Happy shrugged, giving her a smile.

"Who knows? I still try to stay in shape though. There's a gym not far from my place that has a boxing ring in it. I'm there pretty much whenever I'm not here." Pepper smiled.

"That's really cool. So…if you spend a lot of time doing that too, how does your girlfriend feel about all this time away?"

"Actually, Trish and I broke up…about 9 months ago, now."

"What," Pepper exclaimed. "Happy! Why didn't you say anything? I'm so sorry to hear that! I know you two were together for a really long time."

"Five years, yeah. But, y'know…I don't like bringing my problems to the work place. I mean, what can Tony or you do about it?"

"Well, true, but you can always talk to me, that is, if you're comfortable, I mean. We're friends." Happy smiled brightly.

"Thanks, Pepper. I really appreciate that."

"Oh, think nothing of it. You're a real sweet guy. If you don't mind my asking, what happened?"

"I just, sort of, fell out of love with her."

"Oh."

"I still love her, don't get me wrong, but I'm not _in love _with her anymore. She wanted to get married, have kids, all that fun stuff and I…I'm not looking for something like that right now. Besides, she was bent on changing me."

"Changing you? How?"

"Oh, she wanted me to go to a bunch of parties with her and her group of friends, and she always complained about what I wore. Believe it or not, I wear more than just suits." Pepper laughed. "She just didn't like any of it. And she was always trying to convince me to get a different job."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't change for her. I like you the way you are. I could never imagine you being a 'partier' to begin with."

"Me neither."

"So, be honest, Happy. Have you considered finding a new job?" He thought a moment, taking a couple of bites of his ice cream cone.

"I suppose I have. Like I said, I like Tony. He's a cool guy to hang around, but he's really…what's the word?"

"High maintenance?" Happy laughed.

"Yeah, exactly. Being on call 24/7, never knowing what to expect…it's nice not to have a boring, mundane job, but sometimes a fella needs just that. He needs a little routine and stability in his life; not a phone call at 3 in the morning saying his boss is wasted and needs to be picked up before some girl's angry boyfriend beats the shit out of him."

"Oh, I know what you mean, and I'm sorry you have to deal with that."

"Could be worse, I guess."

"True. So, what made you stick around?"

"Nice pay. Tony really knows how to take care of us, and like I said, there's always something interesting going on when he's involved. And…y'know…seeing you is always a bonus." Pepper smiled, feeling herself blush.

"Thank you. I always enjoy seeing you too. Sometimes you're that stability you keep talking about, at least for me, when I'm dealing with Tony's eccentricities." She drank the last little bit of her mostly melted sundae, dabbing at her mouth with a crumpled napkin.

"You know, I really would hate to ever see you leave."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, you and I are really the only ones who know what it's like to be such a distinct and intricate part of Tony Stark's world. I don't think many people realize just how exhausting and frustrating that can be. Not even Tony, himself. And, if you were to go, who would I have to talk to? All I have to do is give you a look, and you know exactly what he did, and how I'm feeling."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't foresee myself going anywhere anytime soon."

"And if you ever change your mind, promise you'll let me know _beforehand_? I don't want to show up someday and find you've just quit." Happy smiled, taking the last bite of his ice cream cone.

"I promise, you'll be the first to know. That way you can try to convince me to stay."

"Sounds like a plan." She excused herself to throw her garbage away, returning to the limo. Happy opened the door for her, to which she blushed and thanked him.

"Thank you for taking me here, Happy. It was exactly what I needed," she said once Happy got in the car and started it up, turning on the A/C.

"Any time, Pep."

"We'll have to come again sometime soon."

"For sure."

"Maybe bring Tony along, too." Happy smiled, looking back at her. He hoped she couldn't see the jealousy that flashed in his eyes.

"Yeah, maybe." The sudden ringing coming from her purse interrupted them. Taking her cell phone out and looking at the screen, Pepper smiled.

"Speak of the devil." She hit the green button, answering the call. "Well, hello, Mr. Stark. You always know when someone's talking about you, don't you," she teased, gazing out the window as she listened to his smooth voice.

Happy watched her in the rear view mirror as he headed back towards Stark Industries. He loved the way she smiled, the way she laughed, the way she brushed her hand through her hair. He hoped one day he would be the one to make her happy the way Tony did. The man did it with such ease, without even thinking, never knowing what exactly he had before him. But Happy knew. And Happy appreciated every little moment he got to spend with her, without their egotistical boss. And who knew? Maybe one day, the tides would begin to change.

_Someday, Happy. Someday. _


End file.
